Dispenser with positive inertial feed



mmmw

May 18, 39% F. E. NULL DISPENSER WITH POSITIVE INERTIAL FEED Filed March12, 1964 United States Patent "ice 3,184,119 DISPENSER WITH PSSlTlVEINERTHAL FEED Fay E. Null, Okaloosa County, Fla. (Box 158, Shalirnar,Fla.) Filed Mar. 12, 1964, Ser. No. 351,479 11 (Ilairns. (Cl. ZZZ-196.2)

This invention relates to an improvement in dispensers such assalt-cellars that prevents the clogging of the discharge openings whenthe ambient air is persistently humid. For high relative humidity it isnecessary to provide a lid to prevent continued contact of the moist airwith the openings to and interior of, dispensers which contain materialssuch as common salt which absorb moisture from humid air. However, thedispenser discharge openings and the interior are exposed to a newintake of moist air during each shake so that is practically impossibleto use a material such as common salt without partial clogging of theportion in proximity to the exhaust openings. For continuous use of adispenser at high relative humidity of the surrounding air, it isnecessary, therefore, to provide both a lid to keep out the moist airexcept when shaking the dispenser and a positive feed that exhausts agiven volume of material at each shake regardless of said materialbecoming somewhat moist from contact with moist air when the lid isbriefly open during each shake. An inertial plunger is the most naturalfeed device, as its actuation is produced by the usual shaking motion.In the inverted position of the dispenser, spring arms hold the tip ofthe plunger back from the top of the exhaust cylinder so that the samevolume of salt always fills the exhaust cylinder. Then upon decelerationof the dispenser the relatively heavy plunger travels on down and pushesthe given load of salt in the exhaust cylinder against the spring closedexhaust lid, causing it to open with discharge of the salt. The plungerand lid are then returned to the normal position by the spring action ofsaid spring arms in readiness for the next shake. The motion of theplunger and attached spring arms also breaks up any residual clumping ofthe material in said dispenser.

It is, therefore, among the objects of the present invention to providea spring loaded lid to protect the dispenser exhaust and interior fromcontinuous exposure to moist air.

Another object of the present invention is to provide positive feed ofthe same volume of material such as salt for each shake of thedispenser.

Another object of the present invention is to use an inertial feedplunger that is normally positioned by spring means to allow material toflow around the plunger tip and to fill an exhaust cylinder, always witha fixed volume of material, so that deceleration of the plunger at theend of a shake stroke will drive said fixed volume of material againstthe exhaust lid and will open said lid for the exhaust of the material;said spring action then returning said plunger and lid to their normalpositions.

Another object of the present invention is to provide positioningsprings for the inertial plunger that break up any residual clumping ofthe material.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a materialdischarge lid that is at an appreciable angle to the horizontal so thatthe material discharged by the plunger will readily fall oif of said lidand be spread laterally by discharge grooves on the lid surface.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a thin coatingover all metal parts exposed to a material such as common salt, by aplastic not affected by continued contact with the material, such assilicone rubber 3384i l Patented May 18, 1985 which prevents stainingand contamination from salt-metal contact.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a thin, sharp edgeon the lower end of the exhaust cylinder so that contact with theclosing lid at an oblique angle to said lid surface will displace anygrains of material on the line contact between said sharp edge and saidlid so that an approximately air tight seal can be made.

Objects and advantages other than those set forth will be apparent tothose skilled in the art from the following description when used inconnection with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of the dispenser in the inverted, ready-to-shakeposition.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view along line 22 in FIG. 1. It shows theinertial plunger held in its preshake position by attached spring armsand with material filling the discharge cylinder and resting against theclosed lid.

FIG. 3 is a bottom view of the dispenser of FIGS. 1 and 2.

FIG. 4 is a plan View of the inverted dispenser at the end of a shakestroke.

PEG. 5 is a cross-sectional view along line 5-5 in FIG. 4. It shows thedispenser walls stopped at the end 7 of a shake stroke, with theinertial plunger traveling on down to open the lid and push out thematerial that was in the exhaust cylinder.

FIG. 6 is a bottom View of the dispenser of FIGS. 4 and 5.

FIG. 7 is an enlarged, fragmentary side view of the lid and dischargecylinder in the direction '7 of FIG. 5.

Referring more particularly to the drawings by characters of reference,reference numeral 1 shows the walls of the dispenser with the base plate2, and the cork 3 inserted in the filling hole t. The plunger 5 ispositioned by flexible spring arms 6 whose ball ends 7 slide up and downalong the edges 8, 9, 10, and 11. In this preshake position, FIGS 1, 2,and 3, the rod end 12 of plunger 5 is held above the top end of exhaustcylinder 13, allowing salt 14 to slide down sloping side walls 15 tofill exhaust cylinder 13, with an approximately con stant volume ofmaterial. FIGS. 2 and 3 show the preshake condition for the said exhaustcylinder 13 as closed by lid 16 which is hinged at 1'7 and normally heldin the closed position by spring 18.

FIG. 5 shows the walls I stopped at the end of a shake stroke, with theplunger 5, because of its inertia, traveling on down with the rod end 12forcing lid 16 open and driving out the material stored in the dischargecylinder 13 in the preshake condition of FIG. 2. The bottom spring arms6 are bent by the downward stroke of plunger 5 ready to return it to theposition of MG. 2. The up-and-down motion of plunger 5 and its springarms 6 keep the material 14 from lumping, the lumping tendency being dueto the small amount of moist air that may enter discharge cylinder 13during the time lid id is open after the material is discharged fromsaid cylinder 13. A thin film 19 resistant to continued contact with thegiven material, such as silicon rubber for common salt, is applied toall metal surfaces that come into contact with the material. FIG. 7indicates how the salt 14 discharged from the exhaust cylinder 13 by rod12 falls on the inclined lid 16 and is scattered laterally by grooves20. As rod 12 and plunger 15 are forced by bottom springs 6 upward intotheir normal position, the lid 16 is forced by spring 18 against theknife edge end 21 of said discharge cylinder 13, the top surface of saidlid 16 being at an oblique angle to the inner Wall of said dischargecylinder 13,

so that any grains of material hanging to the inclined surface of lid 16or the knife-edge 21 are pushed aside allowing a good seal between saidedge 21 and said lid 16.

It is claimed and desired to secure by Letters Patent:

1. In a dispenser with positive inertial feed, the combination of acontainer, a discharge lid connected to said container by spring-typedistortion means such that said lid remains closed by said spring-typedistortion means in the preshake, inverted position of said dispenser, adischarge chamber in said container whose lower end is closed by saidlid that contains the approximate volume of material to be discharged ina downward stroke, and an inertial plunger within said container havingspring-type distortion means for positioning said plunger in thepreshake condition so that its lower end is just above and ofapproximate ly the same diameter as said discharge chamber so that in ashake stroke the lower end of said plunger drives the material in saiddischarge chamber down past said discharge lid.

2. In a dispenser with positive inertial feed, the combination of acontainer, a discharge lid connected to said container by spring-typedistortion means such that said lid remains closed by said spring-typedistortion means in the preshake, inverted position of said dispenser, adischarge chamber in said container whose lower end is closed by saidlid and that contains the approximate volume of material to bedischarged in a downward shake, and an inertial plunger within saidcontainer having flexible spring arm means for positioning said plungerin the preshake position so that its lower end is just above andapproximately the same diameter as said discharge chamber so that in ashake stroke the lower end of said plunger drives the material in saiddischarge chamber down past said discharge lid, and said spring armmeans for positioning said plunger in the preshake condition issymmetrically arranged around said plunger so as to guide it in theshake down stroke and return up stroke, and said spring arms are of suchlength and such angle of attachment to the axisof said plunger thatdisplacement either up or down from the normal preshake positiondistorts said spring arms so that they provide a restoring force towardthe normal, preshake position.

3. In a dispenser with positive inertial feed, the combination of acontainer, a discharge lid connected to said container by spring-typedistortion means such that said lid remains closed by said spring-typedistortion means until acted upon by the inertial force of a plungerwithin said container near the end of a shake, downward stroke, secondspring-type distortion means and an inertial plunger that in thepreshake condition is positioned by said second spring-type distortionmeans to allow thematerial to be dispensed to flow past its lower end tosaid closed lid. 7

4; In a dispenser with positive inertial fed, the combination of acontainer, a discharge lid connected to said container by spring-typedistortion means such that said lid remains closed by said spring-typedistortion means until acted upon by the inertial force of a plungerwithin said container near the end of a shake down stroke, secondspring-type distortion means and an inertial plunger that in thepreshake condition is positioned by said second spring-type distortionmeans to allow the material to be dispensed to flow past the lower endto said discharge lid, said discharge lid being inclined at an angle tothe horizontal to prevent the retention of discharged grains of materialon its surface, and a sharp edge on the discharge opening of saiddispenser such that an extension of the inner surface of said sharp edgemakes an oblique angle to the surface of said discharge lid, so that assaid lid closes any grains of clinging material may be pushed asidepermitting a good seal between said knife edge and said lid. V

5. In a dispenser with positive inertial feed, the combination of acontainer, a discharge lid connected to said container by spring-typedistortion means such that said lid remains closed by said spring-typedistortion means in the preshake, inverted position of said dispenser,until acted upon by the inertial force of a plunger within saidcointainer near the end of a shake downward stroke, second spring-typedistortion means and an inertial plunger that in the preshake conditionis positioned by said second spring-type distortion means to allow thematerial to be dispensed to flow past the lower end to said dischargelid, said discharge lid consisting of a hinged plate, a flexible springmember to force said lid against the discharge opening of saiddispenser, grooves on said lid to scatter the discharged material, asharp edge on the discharge opening of said dispenser, and an obliqueangle between the extension of the inner wall of said sharp edge and thesurface of said lid for displacement of any clinging grains of materialthat might otherwise prevent a good seal between said lid and saiddispenser.

6. In a dispenser with positive inertial feed, the combination of acontainer, a discharge lid connected to said container by spring-typedistortion means such that said lid remains closed by said spring-typedistortion means until acted upon by the inertial force of a plungerwithin said container near the end of a shake downward stroke, secondspring-type distortion means and an inertial plunger that in thepreshake condition is positioned by said second spring-type distortionmeans to allow the material to be dispersed to flow past the lower endto said discharge lid, said discharge lid consisting of a hinged plate,a flexible, curved spring member to force said lid against the dischargeopening of said dispenser, grooves on said lid to scatter the dischargedmaterial, a sharp edge on the discharge opening of said dispenser, andan oblique angle between an extension of the inner wall of said sharpedge and the surface of said lid for the displacement of any clinginggrains of material that might otherwise prevent a good seal between saidlid and said dispenser, said second spring-type distortion meansconsisting of spring arms symmetrically attached to said plunger so thatthey guide said plunger in its up and down motion, and said spring armshaving vertical force components when bent by displacement from thepreshake position such that a displacement of said plunger down or upcauses distortions of said spring arms that produce restoring forcestoward said normal, preshake position.

7. In a dispenser with positive inertial feed, the combination of acontainer, a discharge lid connected to said container by spring-typedistortion means such that said lid remains closed by said spring-typedistortion means in the preshake, inverted position of said dispenser, adischarge chamber in said container whose lower end is closed by saidlid that contains approximately the desired volume of material to bedischarged in a downward shake stroke, and an inertial plunger withinsaid container having flexiblespring rods attached at both ends, saidrods having ends that slide up and down on the walls of said dispenser,said flexible spring rods being of such length and at such angles to thewall surface that they are relatively little distorted in the desiredpreshake position of said plunger, but such that displacement either upor down from this preshake position of said plunger causes a bending ofsaid rods that exerts a restoring force toward said preshake position.

8. In a dispenser with positive inertial feed, the combination of acontainer, a discharge lid connected to said container by spring-typedistortion means such that said lid remains closed by said spring-typedistortion means in the preshake, inertial position of said dispenser,and an inertial plunger within said container having flexible springrods attached at both ends, said rods having ends that slide up and downon the walls of said container to keep said plunger in a centralposition in said container, said flexible spring rods having suchlengths and angles to the. wall surfaces that they are relatively littledistorted in the, desired preshake position of said plunger, but suchthat displacement either up or down from this preshake position causes abending of said rods that exerts a restoring force toward said preshakeposition.

9. In a dispenser with positive inertial feed, the combination of acontainer, a small discharge opening in said container, and an inertialplunger within said container whose lower end is slightly above saiddischarge opening when said dispenser is in the preshake position, andflexible spring rods attached to both ends of said plunger, said rodshaving ends that slide up and down on the Walls of said container asguides to keep said plunger in a central position in said container,said flexible spring rods having such lengths and angles to the wallsthat they are relatively little distorted in the desired preshakeposition of said plunger, but such that displacement either up or downfrom this preshake position causes a bending of said rods, that exerts arestoring force toward said preshake position.

10. In a dispenser with positive inertial feed, the combination of acontainer, a discharge lid connected to said container by spring-typedistortion means such that said lid remains closed by said spring-typedistortion means in the preshake inverted position of said dispenser,and an inertial plunger within said container having spring-type,flexible distortion means to position said plunger with its lower endslightly above such discharge lid when said dispenser is in itsinverted, preshake position so that at the end of a shake down strokesome material in the vicinity of said lid and the end of said plunger,will be discharged past said lid, and a thin, protective coating on saidmetal, flexible, spring-type distortion means for positioning saidplunger that will give permanent protection against contact with thematerial to be dispensed.

11. In a dispenser with positive inertial feed, the combination of acontainer, a discharge lid connected to said container by spring -typedistortion means such that said lid remains closed by said spring-typedistortion means in the preshake, inverted position of said dispenser,and a discharge chamber in said container whose lower end is closed bysaid lid and whose upper, open end is somewhat below the lower end of aninertial plunger within said container in the prestroke position, sothat the material to be dispensed can fiow past the bottom end of saidplunger to fill said discharge chamber, with a constant volume ofmaterial in readiness for discharge past said lid due to the downwardmotion of said plunger at the end of a shake-stroke, and an inertialplunger positioned in said container in the prestroke condition with itslower end somewhat above the top of said discharge chamber by metal,spring-type distortion means, and a thin film coating for said metal,spring-type, distortion means for positioning said plunger that willgive permanent protection against contact with the material to bedispensed, and will not peel from the flexible surfaces of said metal,spring-type, distortion means.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,735,902 11/29Johansen 222476 2,490,721 12/49 Via 222-476 LOUIS J. DEMBO, PrimaryExaminer-

1. IN A DISPENSER WITH POSITIVE INERTIAL FEED, THE COMBINATION OF ACONTAINER, A DISCHARGE LID CONNECTED TO SAID CONTAINER BY SPRING-TYPEDISTORTING MEANS SUCH THAT SAID LID REMAINS CLOSED BY SAID SPRING-TYPEDISTORTING MEANS IN THE PRESHAKE, INVERTED POSITION OF SAID DISPENSER, ADISCHARGE CHAMBER IN SAID CONTAINER WHOSE LOWER END IS CLOSED BY SAIDLID THAT CONTAINS THE APPROXIMATE VOLUME OF MATERIAL TO BE DISCHARGED INA DOWNWARD STROKE, AND AN INERTIAL PLUNGER WITHIN SAID CONTAINER HAVINGSPRING-TYPE DISTORTION MEANS FOR POSITIONING SAID PLUNGER IN THEPRESHAKE CONDITION SO THAT ITS LOWER END IS JUST ABOVE AND OFAPPROXIMATELY THE SAME DIAMETER AS SAID DISCHARGE CHAMBER SO THAT IN ASHAKE STROKE THE LOWER END OF SAID PLUNGER DRIVES THE MATERIAL IN SAIDDISCHARGE CHAMBER DOWN PAST SAID DISCHARGE LID.